Tides of Darkness

Tides of Darkness, by Aaron Rosenberg, follows the events of the second war.  Basically a novelized version of Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, this books shift perspective from the two sides of the conflict.

The Orcish Horde, now led by Orgrim Doomhammer, seeks to seize all of Azeroth in hopes of returning its people to a life of honor and prosperity.  The native inhabitants of Azeroth, however, will not roll over without a fight.  After the fall of Stormwind, Anduin Lothar, former champion of Stormwind, seeks the aid Lorderon and the other human nations - out of necessity, the human nations forge an alliance for the very survival of their race.

As the two forces vie for dominance, other native races become engaged in the conflict. After receiving aid from the Horde, Vol'jin, leader of the Darkspear trolls, allies himself with the Doomhammer, lending their might to the already imposing force.  Meanwhile, the dwarves and elves soon ally themselves with the human alliance as it soon becomes apparent that their survival hinges on the defeat of the Horde.

Tides of Darkness follows the events of The Last Guardian and Rise of the Horde, if you're interested in this book I suggest you check out those first, both of which are great reads and will add to your enjoyment of the story.  This is a fairly quick read, and worth the time if you're a fan of the Warcraft universe.  If not, however, I doubt you'll find it too compelling. Rosenberg does a good job of setting the events of Warcraft II to literature, but it feels as if he was aiming for younger audience with the book, which consequently, alienated me a bit from the story.

tl;dr decent book, check out if you love Warcraft - if not, pass.

Release Reminder: The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm

Hey guys for you Warcraft fans I just thought I'd remind you that in just under two weeks, on October 19, the next Warcraft book is coming out: The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, by Christie Golden.

Here is a preview of the book, taken from Golden's website: "Long ago, Azeroth's destructive native elements raged across the world until the benevolent titans imprisoned them within the Elemental Plane.  Despite the titan's intervention, many elementals have ended up back on Azeroth.  Over the ages, shaman like Thrall have communed with these spirits and, through patience and dedication, learned to soothe roaring infernos, bring rain to sun-scorched lands, and otherwise temper the elements' ruinous influence on the world of Azeroth.  Now Thrall has discovered that the elements no longer heed the shaman's call.  The link shared with those spirits has grown thin and frayed, as if Azeroth itself was under great duress.  While Thrall seeks answers to what ails the confused elements, he also wrestles with the orcs' precarious future as his people face dwindling supplies and growing hostility with their night elf neighbors.  Meanwhile, King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind is considering violent action in response to mounting tensions between the Alliance and the Horde, a hard-line approach that threatens to alienate those closest to him, including his son, Anduin.  The conflicted young prince has set out to find his own path, but in doing so, he risks becoming entangled in political instability that is setting the world on edge.  The fate of Azeroth's great races is shrouded in a fog of uncertainty, and the erratic behavior of the elemental spirits, troubling though it is, may only be the first ominous sign of the cataclysm to come."


I can't wait for this to come out and have it pre-ordered.  I plan on reading this and getting a review up asap(hopefully I have Wednesday off to sit down and read it :) ) until then, I plan on reviewing a few other of Golden's works after I finish what I'm currently reading, so you can expect to see those up shortly.

Christie Golden is a New York Times bestselling author and has written other Warcraft books such as Rise of the Horde, Lord of the Clans, and Arthas: Rise of the Lich king, as well as, a few original fantasy novels and short stories, several Star Trek novels, and even the StarCraft Dark Templar trilogy.  You can learn more about Golden and her works at her website here.

Stormrage

When I first heard about Stormrage by Richard A. Knaak, I was very excited.  Longtime lore-junkie of the Warcraft universe, I couldn't wait to see what had become of Malfurion and get some answers to long held questions.

With that said, my excitement soon turned to disappointment while reading this book. Stormrage tells of Azeroth's struggle against the Emerald Nightmare, an area of corruption within the Emerald Dream, which has steadily been growing over centuries and will soon consume the entirety of the Emerald Dream and Azeroth itself.  Behind the Emerald Nightmare, a Nightmare Lord stands, spreading its taint upon all that it can, even to the mightiest druid Azeroth has ever know, Malfurion Stormrage.

After being trapped by the Nightmare Lord in the Emerald Nightmare for years, Tyrande Whisperwind has taken it upon herself to find out just what has happened to her love. Accompanied by Broll Bearmantle, a mighty druid, Tyrande must enter the Emerald Dream to seek Malfurion and find a way to free him from his imprisonment.  Upon entering the dream, Tyrande soon learns of the chaos that has ensued in this realm and finds that a war lead by the green dragonflight is underway against the Nightmare Lord.  With the help of the green dragonflight and a few unlikely companions gained along the way, Tyrande is able to free her love; however, Yesera, leader of the green dragonflight, is captured by the Nightmare Lord, empowering him like never before.

In the wake of this newfound power, Malfurion must realize his own true power and lead Azeroth's inhabitants against this mighty threat, lest all of Azeroth will fall.

While fans of the Warcraft Universe might enjoy this book, most will not.  I, being a huge far of Warcraft, found myself just wanting this book to end, but forced myself through it. Unlike most of the Warcraft books, this one was painfully long.  Where I thought this book failed the most though, was that the book felt like it was written just to tie some loose ends for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm.  Every other Warcraft book I've read so far felt like it truly was written as the backbone for the games, this book, however, felt dependent on World of Warcraft.  If you were to change the names and setting of this book, I doubt anyone would give it so much as a second glance.

tl;dr crappy book, avoid unless you're a huge Warcraft fan (even then, I would suggest just spoiling yourself instead)

The Last Guardian

Continuing with my coverage the the Warcraft series of books I'll be talking about one of, from what I believe to be, the more intriguing Warcraft books: The Last Guardian, by Jeff Grubb.

The Last Guardian follows a young mage, Khadgar, as he begins his apprenticeship to the most powerful magus in all of Azeroth, Medivh.  Khadgar soon finds himself well in over his head as he tries to adjust to his new life in Medivh's tower.

As Khadgar continues his tutelage under Medivh, he comes to know the truth about Medivh and why he is so powerful.  Guardian of the Tirisfalen, Medivh is a mortal champion empowered by an ancient council to wage a secret war upon the Burning Legion and demons wherever they may arise in Azeroth.  While this truth behind Medivh is unbelievable, Khadgar soon comes upon an even more unbelievable truth about the Magus: an unsettling truth that will shape the future of Azeroth.

This book, unlike the majority of the Warcraft books, focuses more on back story than it does war; while this may turn off some of the fans of the Warcraft series, I found it to be very enjoyable and a great addition to the series.  The book is a quick read and is quite the fan service to veterans of the Warcraft games, giving additional insight into the story of Khadgar and Medivh, yet accommodating to newcomers of the Warcraft universe at the same time.  I highly recommend this book to anyone.

tl;dr: Awesome book, check it out

The War of the Ancients

Today I thought I'd continue my book suggestions with another selection from the warcraft universe.  This time The War of the Ancients trilogy by Richard A. Knaak.

The War of the Ancients, consisting of The Well of Eternity, The Demon Soul, and The Sundering details the first invasion of the Burning Legion in Azeroth.  Brought to Azeroth by the hubris of the Night Elves, the mortal races of Azeroth must stand together under the leadership of a few familiar faces to prevent Sargeras from entering their world.

Having some previous knowledge of the warcraft universe will make this read more enjoyable, but don't let that hold you back.  You might miss a reference or two from another book, but it is still worthwhile.  I was unable to put these books down when I started to read them, it consumed me.

tl;dr: Awesome books, go read.

Day of the Dragon

Been reading alot lately and thought I'd share a few good books over the next few day that you won't want to put down.

To start things off I'll start with the book that got me all caught up in reading again: Day of the Dragon by Richard A. Knaak.  

If you're familiar with the warcraft universe, you'll absolutely love this book.  If not, don't let your lack of knowledge hold you back as Knaak does an excellent job of introducing the characters and lore in this rich world.  The story follows a young, maverick mage who undertakes a seemingly impossible task to rescue a dragon with a few unlikely companions helping along the way, all the while, being manipulated by a malevolent force.

The book is fairly short and well worth your time.  It will leave you wanting more, and luckily there are plenty more books set in this universe to fill your desire.

tl;dr: good book, go read